The Cuba Trade Embargo: Ryan Was Against It Before He Was For It

Ryan voted at least twice in 2001 and 2004 against the [Cuba] embargo, but since 2007 he has opposed efforts to lift it, said Mauricio Claver-Carone, a conservative blogger and executive director of Cuba Democracy Advocates.

“He needed to be educated about the embargo,” Claver-Carone said. “He’s good on Cuba.”

Still, in 2009, Ryan still seemed opposed to the embargo when he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “If we’re going to have free trade with China, why not Cuba?” Ryan’s philosophical opposition to the embargo is rooted in the politics of the Midwest, which sees trade opportunities with Cuba.

So, the good news is, at some point in time, he had good instincts on this issue. The bad news is, he’s a politician.